Next Chapter Mates

By Bretto & Slacky When people look at Olympians, they see the highlight reel. The podiums. The uniforms. The focused stare before a big match. The moment you walk out into a stadium and feel the whole world watching. What they don’t see is the real story: The choices. The sacrifices. The stuff you give up - every single day - to stay in the game. And the older I get, the more I realise something: Parenting requires the same discipline as elite sport. Step-parenting requires

By Bretto and Slacky Why Nervous System Training Works (and Why Most Men Avoid It) As an athlete, my nervous system was everything. Speed, Decision-making, Composure, Emotional control, Recovery, and under pressure — finals, Olympic qualifiers, big stadiums — the athletes who could regulate their nervous system were the ones who delivered. Everyday blokes need this even more. Because your “pressure moments” happens daily: • dealing with separation • managing co-parenting  • h

By Bretto and Slacky Today at work, we had a presentation on recovery. One line hit me like a spike across the net: “Recovery is just as important for everyday adults as it is for professional athletes.” That hit home immediately. As a three-time Olympian and Australian Beach Volleyball Coach, I’ve lived that truth. At the elite level, recovery isn’t optional — it’s the difference between performing at your peak or breaking down, mentally or physically. You quickly learn that

By Bretto I get it. You’re fuming. Angry. Betrayed. Screaming at the walls in your head. Maybe you’ve sent that text you shouldn’t have, snapped at a mate, or shouted at your kids when they didn’t deserve it. I’ve been there. And here’s the brutal truth: letting rage run your separation will burn everything to the ground - your peace, your relationships, your kids, your future. But most blokes don’t hear it straight. They think rage is strength. It’s not. It’s a mask for fear

When separation hit, I felt like I was walking in fog. Everything I thought I knew about life -work, home, routine, family - was gone. I had no roadmap, no guide, no clue. I was the Lost Bloke. And trust me, pretending you know what you’re doing doesn’t help. It just makes the chaos louder. If you’re in that place right now—overwhelmed, confused, and maybe paralysed—I want to tell you something straight: it’s normal, it’s okay, and you can start moving forward today. Why Men

By Pratty 1. When Life Got Busy and the Mates Drifted Somewhere along the way, between juggling work, family, and just trying to keep my head above water, I realised my circle of mates had shrunk to almost nothing. When I was younger, weekends were all about the boys — basketball on Saturdays, beers after the game, talking rubbish, and giving each other stick. Even into my mid-20s, basketball was my thing, and there was always someone up for a run, a barbecue, or a shootaroun

By Bretto Separation hits hard. Whether you saw it coming or it blindsided you, your world shifts fast. One minute life is on routine autopilot-work, family, sleep, repeat-and the next, everything feels uncertain (and harder) Here’s the truth most blokes never hear: separation isn’t just a legal event - it’s an emotional event. What you do in the first 30 days determines how well you recover, how strong your mental health stays, and how solid your relationship with your kids

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